'Kim Gun-hee Luxury Bag Receipt and Deutsche Motors Suspicion' Investigation Chief Prosecutor Retained
North Korea Remittance Suspicion Investigation Team Retained, Chief Prosecutor for Kim Hye-kyung's Corporate Card Misuse Suspicion Replaced
Mid-level executive personnel changes at the level of deputy chief prosecutors and chief prosecutors were carried out on the 29th. Park Seung-hwan, head of the Policy Planning Division at the Ministry of Justice (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 32), was appointed as the first deputy chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee. Jo Sang-won, second deputy chief prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office (class 32), was appointed as the fourth deputy chief prosecutor.
The Ministry of Justice announced that personnel transfers for 514 prosecutors at the level of high prosecutors and prosecutors were conducted effective from the 3rd of next month. The Ministry explained that department heads responsible for major ongoing cases were retained, and deputy chief prosecutors were excluded from transfers unless there were special circumstances to maintain continuity of work.
First, Park, a representative planner within the prosecution, was appointed as the first deputy chief prosecutor to lead investigations into allegations such as First Lady Kim Geon-hee’s receipt of luxury handbags, former President Moon Jae-in’s wife Kim Jung-sook’s involvement in the Taj Mahal sightseeing on the presidential aircraft, and the bodyguard’s swimming lessons. Park served in the Criminal Planning Division of the Ministry of Justice during his time as a junior prosecutor and was the public relations officer of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office from 2022 to 2023.
Jo Sang-won, second deputy chief prosecutor of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office (class 32), who worked closely with Lee Chang-soo, chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and investigated allegations such as the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation, the Democratic Party’s party convention money envelope scandal, and presidential election opinion manipulation, was appointed as the fourth deputy chief prosecutor. Deputy Chief Jo is a special prosecutor who has investigated major cases such as the state affairs manipulation scandal and the Lime investment fraud case.
Gong Bong-suk, chief of the Yeoju branch office (class 32), who served as head of the Criminal Division 2 at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and head of the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, was appointed as the second deputy chief prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office. Lee Sung-sik (class 32), who served as head of the Public Criminal Division at the Ministry of Justice and was dispatched to the National Intelligence Service, was appointed as the third deputy chief prosecutor in charge of public security cases.
Kim Seung-ho, head of the Criminal Division 1 (class 33), and Choi Jae-hoon, head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 2 (class 34), who lead frontline investigations into First Lady Kim Geon-hee’s luxury handbag receipt allegations, Deutsche Motors stock manipulation allegations, and the Democratic Party money envelope scandal, were retained in this personnel reshuffle. Seo Hyun-wook, chief prosecutor of the Criminal Division 6 at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating allegations related to Lee Jae-myung’s remittance to North Korea, was also retained. Heo Hoon, head of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seongnam branch office, was newly appointed to the Public Investigation Division, which is investigating allegations of misuse of corporate cards by Lee’s wife Kim Hye-kyung.
Spokespersons for both the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office were also replaced. Noh Seon-gyun, planning officer at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (class 35), was appointed as spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, and Lee Eung-cheol, deputy chief prosecutor of the Suncheon branch office (class 33), was appointed as spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "In line with the previous personnel policy, we conducted appropriate personnel placements by comprehensively considering work ability, expertise, performance, and leadership."
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